If your hometown is anything like Portland, Oregon, you’re probably seeing a good amount of rain right now. While rain is refreshing and good for giving nature the drink it’s been waiting for all summer, it also has one major negative consequence: it pollutes our drinking water! Here’s how.
During the summer, we drive around, and all those pollutants from our cars end up on the roads. When it rains, all of those car pollutants are transported to rivers and creeks and eventually end up in our groundwater.
It’s not just our cars, either. Factories produce toxic chemicals all summer, which blanket our towns with toxic chemicals. When it rains, those chemicals wash into our groundwater supply.
During the first few rainstorms, our groundwater supply will see an increase in oil, pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals, and even pathogens from raw sewage treatment facilities.
All of these chemicals and pathogens can have adverse health effects. Pathogens can lead to waterborne diseases. Heavy metals are linked to cancer. So are fertilizers and pesticides. Your municipal water treatment facility will do a good job at addressing some of these issues. But they might add chemicals of their own to combat the increase in pathogens and other chemicals that are in the water.
If you have a well, you have to be extra careful. Now is definitely the time to replace the well or whole-house filtration system filters. If you own a water ionizer, it’s also a good time to replace the filters. If it’s been 9 months or more since you last changed the filters, it’s definitely time to change them. Even with the extra work the municipal water company is doing, there is still an increase in contaminants that your water ionizer filters are removing.
Rain is a beautiful thing. It keeps everything alive and healthy. But the unforeseen consequence is that it serves as a conduit for contaminants to enter our drinking water. So be extra mindful this fall to change your filters and ensure you have enough filtration to address the increased pollutants and keep you and your family safe.
